Crowne Plaza
Encyclopedia
Crowne Plaza is a chain of full service, upscale hotel
s catering to business travelers and to the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group
family of brands, which include InterContinental and Holiday Inn and operates in 52 countries, usually located in city centers, resorts, or near major airports.
Originally branded as "Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza", the first United States Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel was opened in Rockville
, Maryland
, in 1983. Within a couple of years the brand was spun off as an independent chain (still owned at the time by Holiday Inn
). The first Crowne Plaza Resort opened in Madeira
, Portugal
in 1999. Crowne Plaza once owned the Isle of Capri Casino resort chain.
Today, the brand represents over 400 hotels globally in 52 countries with 102,667 bedrooms (as of March 2010) and an expanding 129 hotels in the pipeline. In 1990, the InterContinental Hotels Group purchased the Holiday Inn family; today its portfolio includes the luxury brand InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the upscale boutique brand Hotel Indigo, the upscale extended stay brand Staybridge Suites, the midscale extended stay brand Candlewood Suites, and the midscale, full service brand Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts and the midscale limited service brand Holiday Inn Express.
In July 2009, Crowne Plaza was recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry's top growing brands.
- a PGA Tour
golf tournament held annually in Fort Worth, Texas.
Crowne Plaza is the sponsor of FIA World Touring Car Championship driver Andy Priaulx
, a multiple touring car champion.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s catering to business travelers and to the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental Hotels Group plc is a global hotels company headquartered in Denham, United Kingdom. It is the largest hotels company in the world measured by rooms , and has over 4,500 hotels across over 100 countries...
family of brands, which include InterContinental and Holiday Inn and operates in 52 countries, usually located in city centers, resorts, or near major airports.
Originally branded as "Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza", the first United States Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel was opened in Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, in 1983. Within a couple of years the brand was spun off as an independent chain (still owned at the time by Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
). The first Crowne Plaza Resort opened in Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1999. Crowne Plaza once owned the Isle of Capri Casino resort chain.
Today, the brand represents over 400 hotels globally in 52 countries with 102,667 bedrooms (as of March 2010) and an expanding 129 hotels in the pipeline. In 1990, the InterContinental Hotels Group purchased the Holiday Inn family; today its portfolio includes the luxury brand InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the upscale boutique brand Hotel Indigo, the upscale extended stay brand Staybridge Suites, the midscale extended stay brand Candlewood Suites, and the midscale, full service brand Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts and the midscale limited service brand Holiday Inn Express.
In July 2009, Crowne Plaza was recognized by Lodging Hospitality magazine as one of the industry's top growing brands.
Notable properties
- The Crowne Plaza Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the former terminal building of Liverpool Speke AirportLiverpool John Lennon AirportLiverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
, constructed in the 1930s and used until 1986. Its notable art decoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
features led to its listing as a heritage building, and subsequent adaption as a hotel.
- The Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Hotel has more meeting space on site than any other Crowne Plaza in the World
- The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is the first hotel in Denmark to generate all of its power from renewable sources, including solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling pumps. Also, its stationary bicycles are hooked up to generators, which provide electricity to the hotel.
Sponsorship
Crowne Plaza is the title sponsor of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at ColonialCrowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is a regular golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It has been played annually in May in Fort Worth, Texas on the course at the Colonial Country Club. It is one of five invitational tournaments held on the PGA Tour...
- a PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golf tournament held annually in Fort Worth, Texas.
Crowne Plaza is the sponsor of FIA World Touring Car Championship driver Andy Priaulx
Andy Priaulx
Andrew Graham Priaulx, MBE is a British racing driver from Guernsey. He is a European Touring Car Championship champion, three times World Touring Car Championship champion and the only FIA Touring Car champion to win an International level championship for four consecutive years...
, a multiple touring car champion.